Pubs with views get lots of footfall in summer, and with its dramatic aspect perched on a Northumberland headland overlooking the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle, the Jolly Fisherman at Craster is tough to beat. It has a lovely suntrap beer garden and balcony where you can watch the sun glinting off the waves.

However, a pub with such an impressive view can also be a gorgeous place to while away a winter’s afternoon, especially as it’s got a cosy vibe and roaring fire or two. It’s a lovely feeling to stretch out, cat-like, in the warm pub over good food and watch wintry waves crashing below you.

The Jolly Fisherman isn’t just famed for its views – it attracts customers from all over the North East to its seafood and particularly its crab repertoire. Its creamy crab soup (£6.95) is one of the menu’s most popular staples, and is served with freshly baked artisan sourdough from Felton’s classy Running Fox bakery.

Crab sandwiches at the Jolly Fisherman at Craster

The crab sandwiches are, quite simply, the best thing to nestle between sliced bread. They really are second to none, especially when served with a side of the pub’s famous beef dripping chips and an icy cold beer.

Priced at £7.95 for a round of four, they arrive on a wooden board with crisps and salad, and contain the perfect amount of beautifully fresh crab, which is crucially not gloopy with mayo.

Other lunch options include a range of traditional sandwiches and toasties (from £5.50) as well as more substantial choices such as the ploughman’s platter (£8.25). In the evening, the menu extends to steaks and meaty delights such as confit of duck, too. However, it’s seafood in which the pub excels, with other offerings including the Jolly Fishboard (crab pot, salmon, kipper pate, prawns and herring, priced £9.95) or a bucket of mussels with that yummy sourdough (£9.50).

As you’ve probably spotted from the prices listed above, the Jolly Fisherman’s menu isn’t cheap – three rounds of crab sarnies, chips (at £2.95 a portion) and a bowl of soup, soft drinks plus one children’s meal set us back over £50 – but visiting a place like this is a treat and something out of the ordinary rather than something you’d do every weekend.

Beef dripping chips at the Jolly Fisherman at Craster

The pub is more than 150 years old and retains all its original character but has been thoughtfully refurbished and so offers great comfort and spotlessly clean facilities along with that old-fashioned ambience.

A word on getting there: it’s tricky to find, if you don’t know Craster. There are two routes, one up the A189 Spine Road past Blyth and Lynemouth and then onto the Northumberland Coastal Route before carefully following signs for Craster - some of which are ancient and tough to spot.

This is the twistier of the routes, so think twice if any of your party is inclined to motion sickness. There will be a couple of moments after turning from a sign where you take in the narrowness and windy nature of the road ahead and think, “this can’t be right”. Trust me - it is.

The other way to go is up the A1, turning off at the B1340 before turning right onto Windyside Hill - windy by both name and nature - and following this road until you reach Craster village.

Once you arrive in Craster, there are only a handful of parking spaces at the pub itself and cars aren’t permitted beyond it, so rather than chance it and have to execute a complicated three-point turn on Craster’s picturesquely narrow roads, best to park in the well-signposted long stay car park as you enter the village and walk down. In fact, if walking’s your thing, there’s a gorgeous track taking you from the pub’s doorstep to the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle just over a mile away. What better way than that to work off those beef dripping chips?

The Jolly Fisherman, Haven Hill, Craster, Northumberland

Tel: 01665 576 461

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday: 11am to 11pm, food served 11am to 3pm, then 5pm to 8:30pm (9pm weekends during holiday periods). On Sundays, pub is open 12pm-11pm and food served noon to 7pm.